1. Field
This disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling a small base station to reduce interference.
2. Discussion of the Background
Femto cells enable service providers to use additional network resources to is supplement cell coverage and provide users with improved services at a low cost in an area having poor cell coverage. Also, the femto cells enable users to use continuous services between femto cell areas and other cell areas without changing their terminals and to enjoy services in femto cell areas at a low cost.
According to the current market trend, it is expected that femto cell use will increase geometrically. In this context, individual users can buy femto cells like terminals, install the femto cells, and use communication services at a low cost.
When femto cells are installed in a home or an office, interference may occur in overlapping areas between a femto cell and a macro cell, or between femto cells. The interference may result in deterioration of service quality and difficult cell planning. Thus, when users intend to install femto cells, the users should take into account the interference with nearby macro cells and adjacent femto cells.
Since the number of available terminals in a femto cell is limited, a terminal may not camp on a cell area of the femto cell. However, even if there is not terminal in the cell area of the femto cell, the femto cell operates in an active mode and uses more of a channel resource than is necessary and results in adjacent cell interference.